


Glitch

by No1fan15



Series: System Failure [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: A lot of feels, F/F, Some sad stuff, Temporary Character Death, but I think I should warn you just in case, she isn't really dead, tons of cliffhangers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-28
Updated: 2015-12-29
Packaged: 2018-04-17 16:48:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 21,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4674113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/No1fan15/pseuds/No1fan15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Peridot crashes on Earth, she thinks it'll be a minor annoyance to find a way to leave, but now her gem is damaged, Malachite's unfused and Jasper is on the loose. Lapis convinces Peridot to go to Steven for help, but the crack in Peridots' gem is widening, bringing strange new memories with it. -Lots of Headcanons-Lapidot- Dark themes-Feels everywhere *muffled evil laughter* - Also on FF.net</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Go to earth, they said

**Author's Note:**

> AN/ This fic got fairly popular on Fanfiction.Net, so I decided to post it here. Enjoy!/

" Go to earth, they said, it'll be EASY, they said."

Peridot grumbled as she walked away from the crash site of her escape pod. The green gem kicked a rock out of her path as she thought about everything that had been happening recently. She couldn't get off world, her communications were down, and she had a pain in her head that wouldn't go away.

" Must have been those gems, or the crash." Of course she could have beaten those stupid Crystal Gems, no problem at all, but she hadn't wanted to damage her ship.

" Not that it matters now…" she thought. She had seen the explosion from a distance and knew her beautiful ship was no more. Peridot kept walking on her path, complaining under her breath the whole time, occasionally lashing out at a piece of garbage or small animal. The gem continued in this fashion until she reached a small roadside stop labeled " Gas station".

" Maybe these primitive creatures have something to stop this headache." She thought, though she highly doubted it. Such archaic technology. It was a wonder they had managed to survive this long. She was about to approach the building until she caught her reflection in one of the vehicles out back. And that was when she saw it. A long, jagged crack, running down her gem. Peridot stared at her reflection in shock for a few seconds.

"What!? My gem!? But...how?!" she exclaimed, half scared, half furious. At least it explained her headache.

" I knew those stupid gems did something horrible to me!"she thought, leaning closer to examine the crack, purposely ignoring the memory of slamming her head on the ships floor to summon her escape pod. She sighed. The crack also explained why most of her tech wasn't working. It didn't look like a very large crack, but it could still get worse if she wasn't careful, so it ruled out trying to work some of her more complex technology. Peridot stalked off, resuming her stream of complaints, leaving a very confused human wondering who had been yelling at their window.

Soon, a small beeping noise alerted her to something working, amazingly enough. A small compass appeared on her visors screen. A tracking signal. It was a start, even if it was small, and she started moving in the direction it was going.

After a few hours of walking, Peridot saw the sign for Beach City, where her tracking device was pointing her.

" I guess it was worth it to put that thing on the prisoner. " she thought. The signal was leading her straight to Lapis Lazuli, and Peridot knew that Jasper wouldn't let the traitor gem out of her sight, if they had both survived the crash. Peridot slowed down a little. She hadn't thought of that before. She had been planning around the assumption that the other Homeworld gems had survived the crash. If they hadn't, then... well, she preferred not to think about that.

Peridot soon reached the edges of the town. It was still early morning, but she wasn't going to risk being seen, and stayed in the shadows. Humans were soon walking around, moving to and from various buildings, none of which really interested her. There was an odd one that had some sort of large food item on top of it, but she looked away quickly, reminding herself that her only concern was finding the others and finishing her mission. She soon left the area of the buildings and found herself walking on sand. Suddenly, the tracking device let out a high pitched whine. Peridot winced, wondering if she was ever going to get rid of her headache, and checked the device. The signal was still there, but was very distorted, causing Peridots visor to glitch.

" Stupid broken piece of junk.." she thought. Getting angry wasn't going to help, but it felt good to be able to blame her problems on something that wasn't herself. However, it soon became apparent that it wasn't just the visor that was glitching, but Peridots own vision. The horizon started to fade, the ocean changing color every split second, with flashes of black interrupting it all.

" What's happening to me!?" she thought frantically. The glitches were soon joined by distorted voices and static.

" No...don't.. please..remember..no...please...NO!

Peridot flinched. The noises and interference had stopped quickly enough, but it was still enough to worry her. She shook her head and tried to focus on her mission, continuing on the beach, not noticing the crack on her gem growing a little wider. The tracking signal was at its strongest. Peridot looked up to find herself facing the ocean. She scanned the area, searching for the others, but to no avail.

" Well, this is just my lucky day, isn't it!? " she exclaimed loudly, temporarily forgetting about stealth. " First I crash on this stupid planet, then I can't contact Homeworld, and to top it all off, my gem is broken!"

This alone may have given her location away, but it paled in comparison to what happened next, like a breeze next to a hurricane. There was something in the ocean, and it was moving towards the shore, fast. Peridot realized she should probably move, but the tracker signal was the loudest she had ever heard it, and so she stood in shock at the approaching wave.

" That can't be..." she thought, but didn't get any farther before a massive thing emerged from the ocean. It let out a huge roar, flexing its limbs, opening its four large eyes to stare at its surroundings. Peridot looked up at the enormous fusion, standing in shock, wondering if this was another glitch from her visor. But it was real. She had only heard about this fusion before, listened to prisoners tales about its power, not wanting to believe it. It was a Malachite.

She had heard of these fusions before. Lapis Lazulis and Jaspers made extremely powerful fusions. However, the fusion was often unstable because of the physical differences, even if the personalities matched up. And this Malachite looked no different. The massive creature in front of her had finally noticed she was standing in front of it. Malachite leaned towards the smaller gem.

" What are you waiting for?! Get me out of here! No! Don't! Please! She - SILENCE traitor! " Malachite seemed to be arguing with herself. Peridot could still tell the voices apart, even if they were fused together, and sighed.

" What did Jasper do now?" she thought as Malachite continued to argue. This day was not going her way.

" Just my luck.." she muttered, thinking of a way to free her employer.


	2. Chapter 2 - This really isn't my day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN/ A bit shorter than the other ones, sorry./

Peridot sat on the beach and tried to think of a of a plan. Malachite was still arguing, going back and forth from Jasper to Lapis, paying no attention to the fact that she should be quiet. The morning may still be young, but there was people awake, and Peridot knew that they would soon come running. She had to find a way to unfuse Malachite. After looking around, she noticed a large rock poking out of the sand, but it didn't look quite right. With a jolt, she noticed that the rock was a part of her ship, a piece of the control panel. She went over for a closer look, muttering under her breath about the Crystal Gems destroying her things again, and looked for something that could help. That something came in the form of a beat up, but still usable, gem destabilizer.

" Well, Jasper's not going to be very pleased, but I don't have too many other options... " she thought as she picked up the device and brushed some sand off it. Malachite noticed Peridot walking towards her, device in hand, and quickly began to protest.

" Don't! This is the only way to keep them safe! What, those puny Crystal gems? You really are weak, traitor. You don't understand! The boy, Steven, he's different! Don't be ridiculous. That... thing isn't a threat. He's not a thing!Silence, you - "

Malachite's rant was cut short by Peridot, who had taken the time while Malachite was arguing to walk up and unceremoniously jab her with the destabilizer. A crackle of yellow energy spread rapidly throughout Malachite's body. The fusion gem let out a tremendous roar as she began to glow and change shape. Soon, the mass of white light dissipated, leaving two separate gems suspended in the air for a moment, before they both fell to the beach. Peridot looked down at the two lying in front of her, slightly annoyed with them for their unprofessional behavior, but none the less relieved that they were unfused.

" The plan for now is to hide, those humans will be here soon, and you're in no shape to fight. We need to retreat. " she said to Jasper, who was lying motionless on the sand, moaning occasionally. Peridot looked back at the town. People were beginning to arrive on the edge of the beach, pointing towards the Homeworld gems, talking to one another in hushed tones. She turned towards her bodyguard again to begin convincing her to leave, but to her surprise, neither Jasper or Lapis was anywhere in sight. She looked around for a a few seconds before glancing down at the beach and noticing something there. It seemed they had retreated into their gems when her back was turned.

"Great timing you two. Just perfect." she though sarcastically. She needed a distraction, and fast, or they might be captured. She decided obscuring the view of the onlookers and running into a cave in the nearby cliff to be her best plan of action. Peridot attempted to summon her weapon. A small energy cannon formed around her left arm, changing the fingers into a targeting system, and began to charge up. A widespread low energy blast should work well to disturb the sand. The cannon let loose a larger blast than anticipated, blowing Peridot backwards onto the ground, the small patch of sand she shot at non-existent. The view of the beach was now obscured by a large cloud of sand. Peridot groaned quietly and sat up. She should have known not to use her weapon with her gem cracked. She quickly reached out and grabbed for the Gems on the beach. The sand was beginning to fall back to the beach. She had to hurry.

Peridot ran to one of the caves in the cliff, climbing inside, glad to find that it extended farther back. She could hear sounds from the beach of people talking, some camera clicks, and a couple of familiar voices. The Crystal Gems. She hadn't realized how close they were to where she had been. But the plan had worked. Once Jasper was back, she could help construct a small rocket with the ship scraps, or intimidate the Crystal Gems into giving them one. Peridot walked farther back into the cave before noticing that something wasn't quite right. The gems she was carrying seemed rather light... She looked down at her hands to find that she had missed one of the gems when she had picked them up. And the one she had wasn't the one she needed.

" This really isn't my day." Peridot thought, glaring down at the blue gem in her palm, wondering if it was too late to go back and try to find Jasper. Lapis wasn't going to be of any help in this situation. Then again... she did manage to get off planet before. Peridot set the gem on the ground and pulled up a information gathering program. She needed more information on this planet if she was ever going to leave it.


	3. Chapter 3 - Why should she care?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN/ Hope all of you enjoy! Lapis is finally here! * whispers* Begin the shipping /

" Five hours of work and I still don't have any reliable information... " thought Peridot frustratedly. Every source she found with information always had another contradicting source. It seems the humans couldn't decide on what they thought was right. The primitive nature of their communications interface was doing nothing to help the process. She wasn't used to dealing with this kind of tech. None the less, she kept searching, trying to find some way to leave this planet. The humans did have some forms of space travel, but they were all much to slow, and would never get far enough. Suddenly a thought came to her. Lapis had gotten off planet before, and she might be able to do it again, with some persuading. Peridot looked down at the blue gem she had placed on the cave floor. She had no idea how long it would take Lapis to regenerate. She had been part of a fusion for quite a while, and a rather unstable one at that, so it would probably take a while.

Peridot turned back to the holographic screen she was projecting. She wasn't about to get any more information by staring at Lapis. A few more hours passed, with no significant change to the info Peridot had, only serving to worsen her headache. She felt about ready to give up when a light began to spread throughout the cavern. She looked over to the source of the light. The Gem that had been sitting next to her had began to glow, floating upwards slowly, emitting a blue-ish white light in all directions. Peridot backed up slightly. She wasn't sure what Lapis would do when she reformed. They were close to the ocean...

" This hiding spot may have not have been the best choice. " thought Peridot as she watched Lapis begin to reform. The light quickly faded, leaving the newly formed gem in the air for a few seconds, before she landed on the ground. Lapis looked around her. This wasn't the beach, but it didn't look like a prison, and Jasper wasn't anywhere in sight. She did, however, notice Peridot sitting nearby.

"I see you've decided to reform rather quickly. It took you approximately eight hours. A shorter time period than expected after a fusion. " Peridot said, even though she had no idea how long it should have taken, but she still wanted to appear professional. Lapis looked at the other Gem, a little confused, but the smallest bit relived to not be alone.

" How would you know that ? Have you been watching me the whole time?" asked Lapis. It was unusual for Homeworld Gems to care about anyone, other than themselves, and for Peridot to stay near her gem the whole time was highly unlikely. Peridot turned her attention away from the holo screen for a few seconds.

" For your information, I didn't plan to grab your Gem when I came here, I was supposed to have taken Jasper. However, due to a tiny miscalculation, I ended up with you instead of her. Not that it really matters. Those Crystal Gems probably have her now." The prospect of having to rescue her bodyguard was not a pleasant one. Lapis had begun to look worried.

" If the Crystal Gems have Jasper, what will happen to Steven when she regenerates?" she asked.

" Those Gems are strong, but Jasper is more powerful, even against all of them. They will no doubt be defeated, and the Steven taken to yellow diamond, as soon as we find a way to get off this planet." replied Peridot, growing impatient, wishing to get off earth as quickly as possible. She didn't want to stay on this planet any longer than she had to.

" Speaking of which, you're the only Gem to make it off this planet without a ship. Therefore, you're the one who's going to get us out of here once I retrieve Jasper." she reminded Lapis. She expected the other Homeworld Gem to stay silent and agree, like she always did, but was surprised at the response she received instead.

"No."

" What do you mean no?! " exclaimed Peridot, staring shocked at Lapis, surprised she had even responded.

" I'm not going to let Jasper or the Homeworld Gems hurt Steven. I know you'll say that he's just a human, but he's not. Steven is different. He has Rose's gem. I'm not sure why, but he does, and he has her powers too. He has her shield, you saw it yourself, and he healed my Gem! He helped me when no one else even tried. He thinks that Gems shouldn't fight each other, and I've started to agree with him, even just a little. That's why I'm not going to take you or Jasper off planet. I'm not going to let you hurt him, even if it means..."

Lapis paused her rant. She hesitated, but she knew her next words were important, and she couldn't go back on them.

" Even it it means I can't go home."

Peridot studied the blue gems body language. She seemed to be telling the truth. But to give everything up for an enemy...

" Wait, " Peridot realized, " She doesn't see him as an enemy. He's her... friend. " This was not a foreign concept to Peridot, as Gems could form friendships, but it still seemed so odd. Was that little... thing.. so important to Lapis that she would give up on her Homeworld? It seemed so. Peridot turned back to her screen and attempted to get back her focus. She winced as the pain in her head worsened. Her tech glitched, losing large amounts of information, almost an hours worth of work. Peridot grumbled as she attempted to regain what she had lost. Her headache was not helping her mood in the slightest. Now she had to make a new plan of escape that didn't involve Lapis. This was not going to be a pleasant day. After a few more seconds of pouting, Peridot noticed that Lapis was standing in front of her, and looked up.

" Your Gem is cracked pretty badly. " she observed. She had a look of curiosity on her face. " How did that happen?"

" When I crashed here. And it's not that bad. Just gives me a bit of a headache and messes up my tech sometimes. Nothing to be concerned about. Why would you care?" Peridot snapped. Her head felt worse every second, and she wanted to get back to planning a way off of earth, not talk to this traitor.

"Well, you don't usually talk this much." said Lapis. " And if Steven wants Gems to be at peace with each other, I might as well try to be peaceful, before I find him."

Peridot looked at Lapis questioningly. It did make sense for her to attempt peaceful tactics if she was going to ally herself with the Steven. As for the talking, Peridot honestly hadn't noticed how much she had said, with much of it being important information about her physical state. Such information could be used to defeat her should a battle arise. Why hadn't she noticed? She was about to respond when the pain in her head increased sharply, sending static across her visor, voices and sounds beginning to arise in her mind.

" Not this again..." she managed to whisper before the glitches completely overtook her field of vision. The view was about the same as the last time, with the colored flashes and darkness lasting longer than before. The voices were getting louder, still distorted, but she could almost hear full sentences.

" No... leave her... don't take... I promise... please... let her remember... don't hurt...no...no...NO!"

Peridot moaned as her vision slowly came back to her. This glitch was much longer than the other one. The pain in her head had settled to a dull throbbing. She attempted to sit up, after noticing she had fallen to the cave floor, but stopped halfway and lay there trying to make sense of what she had just heard. Lapis was still standing there, her curious expression mixed with concern, and a little fear.

" Your Gem... the crack got bigger...what happened to you? You just fell over and started mumbling to yourself. " she said, not sure what to do, taking a small step back. She had no idea what had just happened to Peridot, and wasn't sure if it was contagious, or if it was safe to go near her. Peridot looked up at Lapis. She really had nothing to lose at this point.

" I don't know what happened." she confessed, feeling irritated that there was something that she didn't know anything about. Peridot tried to sit up again. She was surprised to find a helping hand on her shoulder, supporting her as she sat up. Lapis quickly took her hand away, looking a little apprehensive, before regaining her composure.

"Tell me everything." she said, and it was more of a demand than a question. Peridot considered her options. The best plan at the moment would seem to be telling Lapis what had been happening.

"I don't really have anything to lose." she thought. "Telling this Gem can't hurt me any more than I am already."

" My vision gets all weird, there's noises, and talking. It's really distorted and I don't know what it means. Something about memories and taking. " she said quickly. Lapis' eyes grew wider.

"Are you sure?" she asked. Her expression had lost most of the fear and was more concerned than anything. If what Peridot was saying was true... than things just got a whole lot better and worse at the same time. Peridot nodded, looking away, trying not to look too upset.

" Why should she care? " she thought. "Does she know something I don't?"


	4. Chapter 4 - This really can't get any worse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /AN: This is where things really get going, even if it's a bit short, because it had a lot of plot points being brought up. I hope you all like it! /

It hadn't taken very long to explain what had been happening, but judging by the way Lapis was reacting, Peridot wondered when she would stop asking questions. The water gem was interested more than Peridot thought she would be. Lapis was sitting attentively, listening to every word closely, constantly asking for more information. It seemed uncanny, the way she absorbed all the details, sometimes looking...excited.

" I can tell you know something that I don't. What is it?" Peridot finally asked. Lapis jumped a little, like she had broken focus, but soon returned to a more neutral expression. She stood up, brushed some sand off of her skirt, and began walking towards the caves entrance.

"Hey! You didn't answer my question!" exclaimed Peridot. Lapis looked back at her. Did she look sad? Peridot couldn't tell. She was never too good at reading emotions.

" When you made that distraction on the beach, what weapon did you use?" Lapis inquired. Peridot grew a little more frustrated. Lapis was avoiding the question. But if answering this one would get her more information...

"My energy cannon, what else?" She answered. Yup, that was definitely sadness on Lapis' face.

"Never mind. Forget I asked. Just let me know if anything new happens. I'm going to find Steven. You should come with me. " she said quickly. Peridot was getting suspicious. Lapis definitely knew something she didn't and wasn't about to tell her. While playing nice may have been working for getting answers before, it wasn't going to work now, and she drew the line at going anywhere near the Steven or the Crystal Gems. She wasn't about to go anywhere until she had a solid plan, and she was sure that any plan she could come up with didn't involve going for help, much less to the traitors who has destroyed her ship. Even the prospect of getting her Gem healed wasn't enough to convince her to leave.

"I'll go with you as soon as you tell me what you know." said Peridot, trying one last time to convince Lapis to tell her the information, but to no avail. Lapis turned away and began walking out of the cave. She paused when she reached the exit and looked back.

"Steven can fix your gem." she said. She wasn't making an offer or giving an order, she was simply stating a fact.

"I'm staying here. If you don't have anything to say to me, you should go. Don't want to keep your little friend waiting." Peridot said, pulling up her touchscreen again, trying to focus.

By the time she looked up, Lapis was gone, off to find Steven. Though Peridot was still very irritated that Lapis wasn't sharing information, she wasn't about to go after her, she had a mission to finish. She opened a new section on her touchscreen, hoping the connection would work, and pulled up a status screen of the closest kindergarten. It was undeniably going to take a while before anything worked. Peridot started to go through the lines of code that protected the kindergartens controls. It was older tech, so the code was easy to break, but the controls were unresponsive. She wasn't going to get anything done from here. Even if she got the kindergarten working again, she still didn't have a way to contact Homeworld.

"I can't even finish what I came to do in the first place. This really can't get any worse." she thought as she got rid of the touchscreen. She felt uncharacteristically tired. She had read something earlier on what humans called sleep. Gem's didn't need to sleep, but maybe it would help calm her mind to try.

"It's not like it's going to make things any worse." she muttered as she curled up on the cave floor. Soon after closing her eyes, darkness overtook her mind, the sounds from outside disappearing. She wasn't sure if this was another glitch, or just what naturally happened when Gems attempted sleep, but there wasn't anything she could do to stop it now. One last lingering thought clung to her mind before she lost consciousness.

" What does Lapis know that I don't?"


	5. Chapter 5 - Beach Summer ( TRAUMA ) Fun Buddies!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /AN: HAHAHAHA CLIFFHANGERS! Please comment! It really give me the motivation to write these!/

"So, can she stay?"

Steven looked up at the Gems hopefully. He had spent quite a few minutes explaining why everyone should not fight and why they should forgive Lapis for what she'd done in the past. Now the house was quiet. The Gems debated their options. While Lapis had saved them from Jasper, and warned them of the Homeworld Gems attacking, she had still tried to kill all of them at least once. The decision to let her stay would be a tough one. Pearl looked towards Garnet.

"Garnet? What do you think?" she asked. The fusion gem remained quiet for a few moments. She was the unofficial leader of the team and knew that the others would follow her lead. She had to make the right choice. Her future vision had provided many options, some less favorable than others, and she finally came to a conclusion.

" Steven trusts her, and I trust Steven. She can stay for now. " Steven beamed up at Garnet. Lapis could stay.

" Thanks Garnet! This is gonna be so awesome! BEACH SUMMER FUN BUDDIES FOREVER!" he shouted excitedly. Lapis giggled a bit along with Stevens laughing as he ran happy circles around her. She would no doubt be questioned by the rest of the Gems later, but she tried to enjoy the moment, smiling for the first time in quite a while.

" Oh my gosh! I have to tell Connie about this! " said Steven as he ran off towards where he had put his phone. After a few seconds of looking at the screen, he turned towards the door and began to leave, looking back long enough to tell the Gems that Connie was in town and that he was going to go find her. The screen door swung shut behind him. Lapis grew a bit nervous. Steven was the only reason the Gems hadn't attacked her yet, and with him gone, there was nothing stopping him.

" We're not going to attack you Lapis. We just want to ask you a few questions." said Garnet, noticing how nervous Lapis was, and leaned against the counter. Steven wouldn't be back for a while, and they needed information. Lapis nodded and sat down on the couch.

" What do you want to know? " she asked. The gems all looked at each other, then turned towards her and spoke as one, even though the questions were all different.

" Are more Homeworld gems going to come here? " asked Pearl.

" What was it like being fused with Jasper? " said Amethyst.

" Where's Peridot? " demanded Garnet.

" Umm... could you ask me one at a time? " said Lapis, looking a little more nervous at the sudden onslaught of talking. Pearl looked slightly embarrassed and stepped forward.

" I'm sorry about that, we're just all a little anxious for more information. I wanted to ask you if you know of any Homeworld Gems that may be coming to earth." she asked. Lapis shook her head.

"None that I know of. I haven't had any communication with Homeworld since I got here. They might send more Gems if they notice that the mission failed, but that could take a while, seeing as communication hubs here are all older or broken. I know that I wasn't very important to Homeworld, so they might not notice at all that I'm missing, but the others may be missed a bit more. Jasper was a very important warrior for Homeworld. She was a commander. It's a good thing you've captured her." she explained. Pearl nodded, satisfied with her answer, but a bit more anxious than before. Amethyst went next.

" So, how did that fusion feel? It was really big. I don't get to fuse a lot because Pearl is over paranoid."

" I am no over paranoid! You're reckless and impulsive, and it carries over to your fusions. " snapped Pearl. Amethyst stuck her tongue out at the older Gem and turned back to Lapis, waiting for a reply.

"It was... different. I fused to protect Steven, and Jasper wasn't expecting a betrayal, especially when we were already Malachite. It was difficult to keep her from taking over or unfusing. I kept the fusion as long as I could before I started losing strength. She dragged up out of the ocean early this morning and almost managed to take control of the fusion. I was lucky we unfused soon, otherwise she might have taken over, and I wouldn't have been able to come back." confessed Lapis. Amethyst slouched, not quite happy with her answer, and walked over to the temple door.

"I'm gonna go check on Jasper's bubble. You two can take over from here." she shouted back at Pearl and Garnet. The door closed behind her and Lapis relaxed a bit. Only two Gems to answer to now. Garnet moved forward.

"You obviously didn't unfuse yourself. Jasper's will was too strong. You must have had help. There's another Gem out there, the one who created that distraction, the one who hid your Gem from us. I know of only one Gem currently on Earth with that power or technology. So I need you to answer this truthfully Lapis. Where is Peridot?" she said, getting to the point quickly. Lapis looked away for a moment. She wasn't sure how to reply. Peridot did help her out, and her Gem was cracked, so telling these gems where she was probably wasn't a good idea. Garnet knelt down to be at the same height as Lapis.

"Listen to me Lapis." she said softly.

"I know that Peridot helped you and you don't want us to find her. You don't trust us with that information. But it's very important that we know she's not harming this planet or anything that lives on it. I don't know what your relationship with her is, and I can't understand something I don't know, but I can tell that you don't want to tell us her location because you're afraid we'll hurt her. You have to believe that we will try our best to avoid conflict with Peridot. I personally don't want to fight anymore than I have to. Peridot will be safe, I can promise you that, but we need to know where she is."

Lapis looked up at the fusion. Garnet had made some good points. It would be best to tell the Gems where Peridot was hiding, but with her Gem cracked, there was no telling how she might act. Lapis simply shook her head.

" Thank you for the offer, and I know you mean well, but I don't trust you that much." she replied. Pearl looked like she was going to complain, but a look from Garnet stopped her. The two Gems moved towards the temple door.

" Where are you going?" asked Lapis. They weren't just going to leave, were they?

" We're going to go check on Amethyst. She's been in there for quite a while. Steven should be back soon with Connie. I suggest you stay with them." said Pearl before going into the temple. Lapis sat is silence. The talk with the Gems had gone better that she had thought it would. Maybe they weren't so bad after all. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by Steven running in through the front door with another small human in tow. He began to excitedly talk about his friend, Connie, but was speaking too fast for Lapis to understand most of it. After a while, Steven ran off to get something, leaving Lapis and Connie alone in the room.

"So, you're Lapis? Steven's talked about you a lot." said Connie. Lapis nodded. She really wasn't sure what to say to this small human. Given their first encounter, and apology seemed best.

"Ummm... I'm sorry about the whole taking the ocean thing. I was trying to get home, and I was a little desperate, so I'm sorry if I hurt you." she said. Connie smiled a little and sat down beside her.

"That's okay. Steven explained what happened. You're not going to do it again though, right?" asked Connie. Lapis shook her head.

" Never again." she said with a small but sad smile.

"Okay then. If he trusts you, then I'll trust you." Connie replied. Steven came running back into the room, a large back pack in tow, and went up to them.

"Hey guys! I thought we could go for a walk on the beach. It's really nice out. It'll be fun!" he said happily. Connie nodded and followed Steven towards the door. They started to leave, but then Steven looked over to Lapis and smiled.

"That means you too Lapis!" he exclaimed. Lapis smiled a bit more and followed the two outside. Steven was right. It was a beautiful day. Almost enough to make her forget the mornings antics. They stopped after a while for a picnic Steven had packed. Lapis didn't eat, but she still engaged in the conversation, witch seemed to be about a show with crying foods. It didn't make much sense, but it was a nice way to pass the time, sitting and talking together. After a bit, Steven declared that they were going to look for shells. They spent a few minutes roaming around until they came to the seaside caves. Lapis shuddered involuntarily. Peridot was in one of these cave. She had left in such a hurry that she didn't remember witch one.

"Lapis? Is something wrong?" Steven asked. Lapis explained briefly about what had happened, what cave it might have been, and about Peridots' cracked Gem. Steven soon lost interest in the shells after learning about Peridot. He insisted they search the caves to try and find her.

"Lapis? Is Peridot your friend?" he asked as they checked another cavern. Lapis sighed and looked down.

"It's... complicated. I think so." she answered. She preferred not to dwell on the past, much less explain it to Steven, especially when it came to Peridot. Their search was interrupted by a shout from nearby. They looked over to see Connie standing by a cave entrance, waving her arms, looking worried.

"I think I found her!" she told them as they came closer. Lapis looked inside the cave and gasped loudly. Steven hid behind her, eyes wide, looking a little scared.

"Is that supposed to be happening?" he asked Lapis. He didn't get a reply. Lapis was standing in shock, looking down to the cave floor, and the Gem lying on it. She knew the crack was bad, but it wasn't this bad when she had left, and whatever was happening to Peridot was definitely not supposed to be doing so. The green gem was on the ground, crackles of electricity coursing throughout her body, causing her to shake. Her gem was glowing slightly, only serving to exaggerate the large crack running through it, and her visor was pure static. She seemed to be murmuring something quietly, too soft for Lapis to hear, but none the less was quick and frantic. Lapis knelt beside the convulsing gem, reaching a hand out tentatively, eyes wide with fear.

"Peridot? Can you hear me?" she asked. Peridot made no signs that she had heard Lapis, only continuing to thrash around, breathing weakly. Lapis reached out her hand and placed it on Peridots shoulder.

"Peridot?" she said, words almost a whisper, not knowing what to do next.

"Maybe I should try to stop her from shaking?" she thought. She didn't get a chance to try this, however, as Peridot suddenly went limp. She shuddered a few more times before lying still. Lapis shook her shoulder a little.

"Peridot? Can you hear me? Are you okay? Peridot?!" she said, voice raising in volume and panic. She didn't know what to do. Peridots' Gem wasn't broken, but she wasn't moving, and didn't make any indication of waking up.

"Lapis? What happened to her? Is she okay?" asked Steven. He and Connie were standing nearby, unsure of what to do, but they were both concerned. Lapis looked over to Steven, a fearful expression on her face, almost panicking.

"I don't know."


	6. I promise

/AN: STORY STUFF HAPPENS NOW. This chapter also starts from Peridot's POV. /

I need to...remember... I promised... I wouldn't...forget...

Everything was dark. Peridot didn't know much about this thing that humans called "sleep" but she was fairly certain it wasn't supposed to hurt. She was well aware of something she didn't know floating around her mind. Just out of reach, sometimes drawing nearer, but always being pushed back by another jolt of pain and static. Now words were beginning to show up. She couldn't recognize the voice, but it was very familiar, sounding close to her own.

Please... don't do this... I'll follow orders... I'll do what you want...just let me...

The voice faded out again. Someone else was speaking, but it wasn't from her mind, it was form somewhere else. Was someone there? Peridot knew that her body was unprotected if someone, or something, came by and attacked her. Try as she might, she couldn't escape from inside her Gem, the darkness holding her there. She had to hope that whatever had found her didn't mean her harm.

"Peridot? Can you hear me?"

That voice. It was familiar. The person... they knew her name?

"Peridot?"

She had an idea of who it was, but it was highly unlikely it was them, and even if it was Peridot wasn't sure it was a good thing. The darkness was beginning to lighten. Her sight was slowly coming back to her, but everything was blurred, out of focus. She became aware that she was lying on the ground.

"Is that really who I think it is?" she thought, trying to speak, but not making any sound. Her body moved slightly as the figure in front of her shook her gently.

"Peridot? Are you okay? Can you hear me? Peridot?!"

The voice was getting louder. Her eyes focused slightly, allowing her to see a bit farther, and letting her see who it was in the cave with her. Her field of vision changed as she was shook again, pointing her view towards the entrance of the cavern. Was that... the Steven? That little..thing.. had managed to find her? There was another one there too. She didn't recognize it. It was a human, for sure, but only a small one. She tried to focus on whoever it was beside her. That couldn't be... why would she be here?

"Lapis? What happened to her? Is she okay?" said the Steven. Peridot would have looked surprised if she was fully conscious. It was Lapis next to her, a hand on her arm, looking worried.

"I don't know." she said. So, Lapis didn't know what had happened either. Peridot moved a little, groaning at the pain that the effort caused, trying to speak. All three of the others looked towards her, various emotions on their faces, each one trying to speak at the same time.

"She's awake!" said Steven excitedly. Connie backed away a little bit. She didn't know what this gem was capable of and didn't really want to find out. Lapis felt a mixture of relief and worry go through her.

"Peridot? What happened to you? Are you okay?" she asked, supporting the green gem as she tried to sit up.

"I'm not sure what happened to you, but..." she paused mid sentence. Peridot was awake, but judging by the look on her face, she wasn't too happy about it.

"...Why?" she asked weakly. Lapis looked confused.

"What do you mean, why?" she said.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!" exclaimed Peridot loudly, trying again to sit upright, staggering a bit.

"Why are you here?! Why did you come back?! Why did you bring those humans?!" she said quickly, not stopping to process the possible mistake she was making by saying all of this, but continuing to shout at the Gem in front of her. Peridot reached out and grabbed Lapis' shoulders, pulling her closer, frantically trying to say everything she needed to.

"You know something I don't! All you've done is ask questions, but you never give me any answers, never! Why won't you tell me?!" Lapis was too shocked to reply. She sat looking at the panicking gem in front of her with wide eyes. Peridot didn't take this lack of a response well. She began to speak again, but was interrupted by a cracking noise, accompanied by another stab of pain in her head. The crack in her gem had spread,covering the entire surface, jagged and misshapen.

"You see? This can't get any worse. My gem's almost broken. Those... glitches..they keep happening, and they're getting longer, and I don't know why. There's always voices, talking about something, about memories. You know something, don't deny it, you know something about it!" she said, her voice growing louder with each word. She began to shake, the unfamiliar sensation of helplessness overtaking her, tears running down her face. Lapis looked at Peridot, not used to seeing her like this, unable to reply. She had no idea that the crack was this bad. If Peridot was really remembering things...She shook her head, trying to regain her focus.

"Peridot. Look at me." she said quietly. Peridot tried to focus on Lapis, tried not to cry, but she couldn't. This was all too much.

"What's happening to me?" she whispered. Lapis shook her a little to get her attention.

"Listen to me Peridot. I don't know what's happening to you, and I don't know how to fix it, but I can tell you what you want to know. You need your Gem healed right away. Come with me, let Steven help you, and then I'll explain everything. I promise." she said gently. The other gem looked at her, as if trying to tell if she was lying, then nodded. Peridot tried to respond to Lapis, but stopped before she could say a word, shaking even more. A sickening, crunching, grating noise came from her Gem. She went limp and fell forwards, slumping onto Lapis, her arms falling to the ground.

"Lapis? What just happened?" asked Steven. The small child looked very scared. He had no idea about what Peridot had been talking about, what Lapis knew that they didn't, or if Peridot was even alive.

"Is she... dead?" Connie asked, not sure how to respond to this situation, if she should leave or stay. Lapis looked towards the two humans.

"She's not dead, just really, really hurt. I know I haven't told you two everything I should have, but right now, I need your help. Peridots' gem is damaged on the inside. I don't think Stevens healing powers will be enough to fix it." she said, looking towards the unconscious gem in her arms, unsure of what to do next. Steven walked over to the gems and sat down, putting a hand on Lapis' shoulder, attempting to smile.

"Don't worry Lapis, we can fix Peridot, I know we can. You haven't told me everything, but that's okay, I still trust you. The Gems will know what to do. We should take Peridot to them. I'll make sure they don't hurt her. Okay?"

Lapis looked at the small boy. He was so full of hope. She tried to smile back at him.

"Okay." she replied, getting to her feet, supporting Peridot over one shoulder.

"I trust you Steven."

Steven smiled wider, trying to help Lapis carry Peridot, calling Connie over for extra help. Together, the trio made their way out of the cave and down the beach, taking some extra time to figure out how go up the stairs. When they got to the house, however, it was empty.

"I guess the others are busy." said Steven after looking around.

"We'll just wait for them to get back then." said Lapis. "By the way, do you have anywhere I can put her down?" she asked, gesturing to Peridot. Steven scanned the room. They couldn't put her on the table, she wouldn't fit. It would be too hard to get her up the stairs to his bed, and the couch was so covered in stuff, it barely looked like a couch at all.

"Oh! I know!" he exclaimed after a moment of thought. He ran towards the temple door.

"We can put her in my room!"

/AN: More explaining and stuff to come! Thanks to all of you for sticking with me so far! Chapter 7 will be posted ASAP!/


	7. A Magical Gem Story

/AN: Yeeee some more story stuff. Plus amputee Peridot!/

Lapis walked nervously through the door. The room she was now in was pink as far as the eye could see.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Steven?" asked Connie. Steven nodded excitedly and led them towards a large cloud.

"Yeah! This room makes whatever I want it to!" he said. Lapis looked around. The seemingly infinite sea of pink was nice, but all of it at the command of such a young being, and things could get dangerous.

"Should I make a bed or a chair?" he asked. Lapis jumped a little when she realized Steven was talking to her. The small boy looked up at her expectantly. She realized that he was asking her opinion on what to create.

"I don't know. Just make something soft, like a big pillow." she said after a moment of thought. Steven nodded.

"I want a pillow big enough to put Peridot on!" he said. A small poof sound rang throughout the room as a large, pastel pink pillow appeared, hovering a small ways above the ground. Lapis walked towards it and placed Peridot on it. It fit her body alright, but her arms and legs were falling off the sides, to the disappointment of Steven.

"Awwww, she doesn't fit! The rooms always done what I wanted it to do before." he said.

"It's okay Steven, the room did do what you wanted, I'm just not sure how it knew..." Lapis said, trailing off after realizing she was revealing some of Peridot's personal information.

"What do you mean Lapis?" asked Steven. He looked very confused. His friend Connie shared a similar expression. The blue gem sighed.

"It's not like she can get any more upset..." muttered Lapis as she reached towards Peridot. She fiddled a bit with the other Gem's arm, particularly at the joint, before hearing a clicking noise. Then, to the shock of both humans standing next to her, she removed the entirety of Peridot's lower arm. She repeated this process with the other arm and both lower legs. She placed the mechanical body parts on the ground and turned towards the kids.

"See? She fits." said Lapis, smiling at the look of amazement on the humans faces, only a little worried at the fit Peridot was going to have when she found out.

"She has prosthetic limbs? That's...interesting." said Connie, not sure if "cool" was a good word choice. Steven, on the other hand, had no such qualms.

"That's so amazing! I didn't know Gems could have missing body parts. Is that normal?" he asked Lapis. She sighed a little and sat down on a nearby cloud.

"No, it's not normal. It means the Gem didn't form correctly. Their physical form is impaired, no matter how many times they regenerate, and it can't be fixed. Normally such Gems would be crushed right away, but Peridot was created in the middle of the war, and every available Gem was needed." she explained. Steven sat down in front of Lapis, followed closely by Connie, eyes wide and a smile on each of their faces.

"Are you gonna tell us a magical Gem story?" asked Steven. Lapis thought about it. Telling a "story" might be the best way to explain things.

"Well, I guess I don't have a choice, do I?" she said, smiling at the way the small humans faces lit up at the prospect of a story, trying to think of where to start.

"What kind of story do you want to hear?"

"One about you!" said Steven. Lapis nodded.

"Okay then, but pay attention, I'm not going to repeat myself." Both children sat up straighter. She cleared her throat.

" When Rose Quartz rebelled against Homeworld, many Gems were recruited for the battle, and I was among them. I fought against countless Gems, and moved up in rank, but the real difference maker was Peridot. There are many Gems of the same type in existence, but this one was different, because of something that should have gotten her destroyed. While most other were technicians or construction workers, this one was a warrior, always on the front lines. Her weapon was unique. She used energy from her Gem to form arms and legs. Weather she needed a claw, blade, or blaster, it would be right there. However, this weapon took a lot of energy, and Peridot needed a lot of time to recover from larger battles. It was during one of these recovery times when we seemingly won the war. During the war, I had met Peridot, and made friends with her. However, once the fighting was over, Homeworld didn't believe that she would be of much use. She kept working as a technician, trying to verify her existence, making sure she was contributing. I worked as a labor drone, constructing ships, and transferring messages. I would run into her a lot, and though our friendship was strained, it was still there. After a while, we grew closer, making sure that the higher authority Gems didn't find out. Gems being friends was not encouraged on Homeworld. Anything beyond that... I don't even want to think about what would happen. But then..."

"Then what?" asked Steven, who had been really getting into the story, and Connie nodded in agreement. Lapis looked away from them. They were so happy. The next part of her "story" wasn't the happiest of events. She wanted to tell them, but it was almost overwhelming, all the memories she had tried to forget.

"Lapis? Is something wrong? Are you okay?" asked Connie. Lapis shook her head. Connie got up from where she was sitting and walked over to Lapis. She gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay Lapis. If you don't want to tell us what happened, I won't force you." she reassured the blue gem. She still wanted to know what the rest of the story was, but knew that if Lapis wasn't comfortable telling them, she shouldn't have to.

"Thanks Connie, I would tell you guys, but it's a little uncomfortable for me." said Lapis. After a few moments, Steven stood up and walked over to them, pulling the two of them into a hug. Connie separated from the embrace, putting out a hand for Lapis to shake.

"It was great meeting you Lapis. I have to go before my parents start to worry about me." she said. Lapis shook the young human's hand.

"It was nice to meet you too Connie. Don't worry, I promise I won't steal the ocean again while you're gone." The two laughed a little. Steven happily went to open the door, glad the mood was lifted, and that his two friends seemed to be getting along.

"Steven? Are you hurt?"

"Hey, Ste-man! We kinda got a problem."

The questions came from outside the temple, but everyone in the room recognized the two voices, with mixed reactions.

"The Gems are back! Hey guys!" shouted Steven, running out of the temple, door beginning to close behind him. He remembered to hold it open for Connie, and looked to see if Lapis was coming, but she hadn't moved. Sighing, he reluctantly let the door close, leaving the two Gems in the room by themselves.

"He really cares a lot. Just like you used to." murmured Lapis to the unconscious Peridot beside her. She hadn't expected an answer, but was still disappointed at the lack of response, talking a little louder.

"Look at you now. Cracked Gem, unconscious, rescued by a human child. It wasn't like this before. Not when you remembered..." She was growing more irritated by the second, anger bubbling up from inside, a feeling she had been trying to repress.

"Why don't you remember? What did they do to you? You can't even remember yourself anymore, who you used to be, who I used to be. You don't remember what I was to you. I know you're not like this. You're different. This isn't you!" She was nearly shouting, but her rant was cut short by another swell of emotion, this one sadness.

"And this isn't me. These past 5000 years... they really haven't been easy on us, have they? So much has happened... I wish you would remember. Please, if even for a second, remember what it was like before." she whispered. Still no response from Peridot. At least, none that she could see. Lapis was going to start talking again, but was distracted by the door opening, and she found herself looking over at a very distressed Steven.

"Lapis, we need your help, quickly!" he said. Lapis had never seen Steven look so worried, but understood immediately why from his next sentence, chills running down her spine.

"Jasper escaped!"


	8. A slight setback

"What happened?"

Lapis stared at the Gems she had once been scared of, now beaten and disheveled, not to mention one less in number. No one answered her right away. They were busy staring at the pale gemstone on the table. She hadn't been surprised that Jasper had escaped, but for these once fearsome warriors to be beaten so badly, something must have happened that was unlike anything else before. Especially if Jasper had managed to take out a member of their group without a destabilizer.

"Jasper happened, that's what." grumbled Amethyst after a few seconds of silence. Garnet offered a slightly less vague answer.

"Jasper is stronger than before, but her movements have changed, become off-balanced. If what I think is happening really is, then we've got a bigger problem than Jasper just escaping, and we need any information you might have to stop her." explained the fusion, adjusting her visor.

"So, what do you think is happening?" asked Lapis, only a little distracted by Steven running back and forth with things to put near the dormant gem on the table, as if Pearl would reform within seconds. His friend Connie had already left, and though Steven had seen her out the door, he had decided to stay with the Gems instead of walking with her. Garnet leaned forward, gaining a more serious tone than the one she had already, making sure her information was understood clearly.

"From what I saw, Jasper is in the early stages of becoming corrupted, which makes the fact that she escaped even worse that it is already. We tried to stop her, but as you can see, that didn't go well." she said, gesturing to the gemstone on the table.

" We need any information you might have regarding how to find Jasper, what her powers are, and how to beat her."

"Shouldn't we wait until your teammate reforms?" said Lapis, still trying to processes all this new information.

"They'll want to know all of this too, right?" she pointed out. Steven gave her a small smile.

"I agree with Lapis. Pearl's gonna wanna know about this stuff too. I know she takes a while to reform, but we should wait for her, it's the best thing to do. Please?" he said, looking over to Amethyst and Garnet. The two other Crystal Gems looked at each other for a moment, considering their options, before Garnet gave Steven an answer.

"We'll wait for one week, but that's it, we can't spare much time." Steven smiled a bit more, satisfied with the response, and went back to watching Pearl's gem.

"Hey Steven, what were you all doing in Rose's room? You guys having a party or something?" inquired Amethyst, trying to lighten the mood, but instead getting guilty looks from Steven and Lapis.

"What's with you guys?" she asked. She hadn't expected Steven to look upset. He would usually laugh and correct her with what he was really doing. Steven thought about how to respond, and when he was unable to think of a good excuse, simply told the truth.

"Ummm... well...y'see...we kinda... found Peridot. I was gonna tell you guys right away, but you weren't here, and I got distracted when you told me about Jasper. Peridot's in my room right now, it was the only place I could think of to put her in, and I really hope you aren't mad." he said, glancing down, almost afraid to look at the Gems directly. Lapis quickly tried to defend Steven

"He's telling the truth. We found Peridot out in one of the caves. She's badly injured, and I didn't want to leave her there, so we brought her back. Don't worry, she's harmless, I swear. The worst she could do right now is shout at you. I'm sorry, this is all my fault, I should have told you right away where she was." she said. Amethyst sat in shock, not sure how to respond, instead looking at Garnet to see what she would do. Garnet didn't give any visual response. After an uncomfortable silence, she stood up, and began moving towards the Temple door. Steven ran after her, almost panicking, trying to say something to convince her of the truth.

"Lapis is right! Peridot can't hurt anyone right now, she's unconscious, and she doesn't have any arms or legs! I know that last one sounded weird, but you gotta believe me! Please, don't hurt her!" he said frantically, running out of things to say rather quickly. Garnet knelt down next to Steven, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, calming him down.

"I believe you Steven. I can't really say much more than that. Peridot may not be able to hurt us now, but she has done so in the past, and I need to make sure she won't again. If that means I have to use force, than I will." she explained. Steven thought about what to say next, but couldn't come up with anything relevant, so he just nodded. He walked over to the temple door and opened the door to Rose's room. He motioned for the other Gems to follow. After a while of walking, Steven seemed to be getting nervous, looking around at the pink clouds.

"She was right here when we left. She couldn't have gone anywhere, right?" he said, confused as to where Peridot had went.

"Maybe the room stopped working when you left?" suggested Lapis. Steven nodded. He hadn't really thought of it before, but it was possible the room didn't work when he wasn't in it, which meant Peridot was on the floor somewhere.

"Peridot finding powers... GO!" shouted the small boy, running ahead of the Gems, jumping on and destroying several smaller clouds in the process.

"Hey Steven! Wait up!" called Amethyst, joining Steven in jumping on the clouds, targeting a few bigger ones. Lapis stared at the two running around in disbelief

"Something as big as Jasper escaping happens and they act like this? It doesn't make any sense" she said. She hadn't expected a response, and was surprised when Garnet gave her an answer.

"Steven always looks on the bright side of things. This is pretty normal for him. As for Amethyst, she's going along with Steven to keep him happy, though she's just as worried as the rest of us. She doesn't want Steven to see it, so she hides her feelings by acting this way, acting like him."

" And you? How do you feel? " asked Lapis. Garnet was silent for a few moments before a shout from the distance caught their attention.

"Conflicted." she finally answered, moving towards the sound, Lapis following behind her.

/AN: Aaaaaaand I'm cutting this one short because writers block./


	9. Conflicting Ideals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN/Here you go! More info! Ruby and Sapphire! Plus big buff Cheeto puff!/

**Roses Room**

If the day hadn't already been so bad her, Peridot may have been surprised at the situation she woke up to; as it was, however, the day had already worn out her sense of panic. She had, of course, been confused as to why she seemed to be in a dimension comprised entirely of pink clouds, why she was lying on the ground of said dimension, and why she still had that seemingly never-ending headache. Yet out of all the emotions in her mind, frustration was at the forefront, closely followed by panic.

_"Well isn't this perfect. I have no idea where I am, who put me here, or if this is another glitch. I still don't know what Lapis isn't telling me, why that Steven thing was there in the cave, and to top it all off, I can't move!"_ she thought to herself. The little rant helped to put her situation in perspective. The first two questions could wait a while, even though they were very important, because her first concern was as to who had removed her prosthetic limbs. She attempted to sit up and look around, but was unsuccessful. Her mechanical arms and legs were on the ground, a few feet away from her. She had been about to start moving towards them, but was interrupted by a loud noise behind her, causing her to turn and yell back in shock. It was the Steven! And one of the Crystal Gems! Peridot tried to come up with a plan, but, too disoriented to think clearly, she opted to stay still and hope they didn't break her gem.

"I found Peridot!" Steven yelled. He started to move towards her, but was held back by Amethyst. Peridot recognized the small purple being as the Gem who had captured her on the ship, which meant that the other Gems were somewhere nearby, and she was in no shape to fight them.

"Amethyst, it's okay! Peridot can't hurt anyone!" said Steven.

"Oh no you don't. No way. She tried to kill us!" Amethyst snapped. She pulled Steven back a few steps as she glared at Peridot. They were soon joined by two more Gems. Peridot recognized the fusion. She was the one who beat Jasper. And was that...Lapis?

"State your purpose." said Garnet. Peridot stared up at the rather intimidating Gem. Now was definitely not the time to act defiant.

"I was brought here by Lapis and the Steven. I have no intent to harm. My only goal at the present time it to repair my gem." she replied.

_"That ought to be a satisfactory answer. If the Crystal Gems don't view me as a threat, then I can stall for time."_ she thought. Garnet looked down at the Homeworld gem. She seemed to be telling the truth. And yet something wasn't right. She tuned away from the group, taking a moment to focus. The rest of the Gems looked towards her anxiously.

"Garnet? What do you think? Can she stay?" asked Steven. He wiggled out of the hold Amethyst had him in and walked towards Garnet. The normally quiet fusion gem seemed to be talking to herself.

"She seems honest...Ha! I doubt it...We need to give her a chance...But she could hurt Steven! You saw!...It's what Rose would have wanted..." she muttered, her voice alternating between calm and irritated. A bright light filled the room momentarily. Standing in Garnet's place were two much smaller Gems. One of them glared at Peridot, her hatred obvious, while the other stood quietly.

"Ruby? Sapphire? Why'd you guys unfuse?" asked Steven. Ruby turned her back and refused to speak. Sapphire walked up to Steven and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright Steven. We just had a little disagreement. We'll sort it out, I promise, we just need some time." she said. Steven nodded.

"Okay, if you're sure. But.. what were you arguing about?" he asked. After a moment of thought, he let out a small gasp, a smile growing on his face. "Did you see something with your future vision? Something good?"

"If it had been something good, we wouldn't have been arguing about it, now would we?" grumbled Ruby.

"So now what do we do? Garnet unfused, Peridot is still here, and Pearl's not coming back anytime soon. Isn't there supposed to be some sort of plan?" asked Amethyst. Sapphire shook her head.

"No plan. Not at the moment." she replied. The remnants of the Crystal Gems formed a huddle and began to talk in hushed voices. Meanwhile, Lapis had made her way over to where Peridot was sitting, and sat down next to her.

"I guess I owe you an explanation. " she said, looking a little guilty. Peridot glared at the other Gem.

"I'll say you do. You can start by telling me what it is that you know about these... glitches." she said. Lapis nodded.

"Alright. But you have to promise not to freak out about it, okay?" she said, beginning to project a hologram from her Gem.

" It started a five thousand years ago..."

 

**Present day, in a forest somewhere...**

Pain and anger; the only things Jasper felt, despite running into multiple trees as she sprinted through the forest. Even with her physical body damaged and her emotions controlling her actions, she still knew where she was going. Soon the forest had ended, fading into a large rocky plain with tall cliffs in the distance. The Homeworld Commander allowed herself a moment of victory. She had made it. Those "Crystal Gems" would never beat her again once her plan was in motion. She may not have been able to go back to her home, but she could ruin theirs, and with any luck, she destroy them in the process. Jasper continued her path towards the kindergarten, focused solely on her goal, ignoring the pain beginning to spread from her Gem.

_"It won't matter once I get there."_ she thought. With this mantra in mind, she kept moving towards the daunting canyon cliffs, unaware of the situation her enemies were in. Had she known, she might have walked faster.


	10. I'll try

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FLASHBACK TIME!

**5000 years ago, Gem Homeworld**

Lapis Lazuli ran down the halls of the building. She had to hurry. News of this measure couldn't be kept quiet for very long. She quickly swerved to one side to avoid running into another Gem, shouting a quick " Sorry! " before continuing on her way, ignoring the complaints of the others. She had been hearing the same ones the whole time she had been in the building. The "What is she doing here?" or "This is a Yellow Diamond facility, not a Blue one." and most commonly, "How rude."

_"I really wish I was allowed to use my Gem in here. "_  she thought. _" It would make this so much faster. "_

Onward she sprinted, scanning the wall for the right door, thinking of what to say. After a few minutes, she skidded to a stop, staring up at the entrance in front of her. It lead to a large room full of technicians. Lapis smoothed her skirt and walked up to the supervisor.

"Greetings. I am Lapis Lazuli, Series 5, Unit Eight thousand and thirty two. I am here to see -"

"I know who you're here to see Lapis, we all do, except for her." interrupted the supervisor. She tapped a button on her screen, signaling one of the techs, and turned back to Lapis.

"I heard the news. Congratulations. You're very lucky that Rose is so kind, and has so much influence on the others." she said with a smirk. Lapis allowed herself a small smile. She might have replied, but was distracted by one on the technicians making her way over to them, finishing an assignment as she walked.

"Peridot Unit Eight Seven Three reporting ma'am. What am I needed for?" she said. The supervisor simply pointed at Lapis, who was trying her best to keep a strait face. Peridot took a second to register this new information.

"Lapis? What are you doing here? And why did you pull me out of work? Has something bad happened?" she asked. Lapis grabbed her arm and began to lead her out of the room.

"Come with me. I have some very important news." she said, keeping her voice level. This had to be a surprise. She had worked so hard on it. Peridot knew better than to ask questions when she wasn't supposed to, but whatever was happening definitely merited an explanation, and she planned to get one.

" Where are we going? " she asked. Lapis simply sped up in response. Their journey stopped once they reached a small balcony on the outside of the building. Lapis shut the door and turned towards Peridot, dropping her monotone facade, smiling widely. Peridot smiled back, though a tad apprehensively, not sure what this meant.

"Well, you seem happy, so whatever you have to tell me isn't bad news. You were in a hurry to get here so it must be important. And we're in private, so it must be a secret, or something similar." she said. Lapis smiled even more.

" You're incorrect on all accounts." she said gleefully. A few moments of silence filled the air as her statement sunk in.

"What?! How is that possible?" exclaimed Peridot. Lapis moved closer.

" It's not just good news, it's AMAZING news, it's not just important, it's the MOST important, and it's not a secret, but I didn't want you to scare people with your reaction." she said. Peridot was about to say something, but Lapis quickly grabbed her shoulders, beaming all the while.

"ROSE HAS APPROVED OUR RELATIONSHIP!" she shouted, unable to keep quiet any longer, excitedly jumping up and down. Peridot stood in shock, trying to make sense of this new revelation, barely managing to ask "What?" before Lapis began talking again.

"She convinced the Diamonds that it's okay! She gave us her protection! We don't have to hide anymore!" she continued, stopping her jumping, but still looking very excited. She looked at the Gem in front of her with relief and affection. Her expression was soon mirrored by Peridot, who had just understood what had happened, and was soon smiling as much as Lapis. To anyone inside the building, the noises from the balcony were muffled, but the squeals of excitement were still audible. The two Gems happily began chattering about all of the new possibilities they were faced with. Peridot pulled Lapis into a hug, holding her close, the embrace returned instantly.

"We don't have to hide anymore... " she whispered, eyes watering. Lapis pulled back to look at her, wiping away tears, giggling slightly.

"Exactly. We don't. We can just be ourselves." she said, moving forward to kiss her partner. Peridot gladly returned the motion. After a moment, the two broke off the kiss but stayed close, smiling at each other.

"I'll never let anything hurt you." muttered Lapis.

"And I'll return the favor." replied Peridot.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

**Present Day, Rose's Room**

The light blue hologram flickered out of existence, the images of the happy couple fading away, leaving nothing but silence in the room. The Crystal Gems had stopped talking and were staring at the two others sitting of the floor. Steven wiped away tears and sniffled.

"That was so..so.. sweet." he said, a small smile on his face. The rest of the Gems looked at each other, coming to a mutual agreement, and began to walk away.

"Come on Steven. I think these two need some time alone." said Sapphire. The small boy nodded and followed the Gems out to the room. The door closed quickly behind them, leaving the Homeworld Gems to face the quiet. Lapis was the first to speak.

"That's what things used to be like. What you used to be like." she murmured. Peridot hadn't moved, staring at the spot where the hologram had been, trying to understand what she had just seen.

"How is that possible? That's definitely me, but I don't remember any of that happening." she said. More and more ideas of what the images meant went through her mind.

"Did you create those images?" she asked. Lapis ducked her head down.

"No, I didn't. That all happened. You just don't remember. The Homeworld authorities took your memories." she explained. She looked over at Peridot. The other Gem was still quiet, but there was tension in the silence. Lapis stood up and walked towards the temple door.

"I understand that you probably need time to think about this. I'm going to go see what the Crystal gems are doing." she said.

"Oh no you don't!"

"What?!" Lapis turned back towards Peridot. The green gem Gem was trying to follow her, but was making little progress, pulling herself along with what was left of her limbs. Her mood had shifted from shocked to angry.

"You always run away before you explain anything right! Get back here and tell me everything! Why did Homeworld take my memories?! Why are these glitches happening?! What's happening to me?!" she shouted. She began to laugh, much to the concern of Lapis, as she attempted to sit up.

"This really is something, isn't it? The stuff I can't remember, my cracked Gem, and I failed my mission!" she exclaimed, giggling wildly.

"Maybe I'm making it all up in my head. Wouldn't that be a riot? What if nothing here is real? The room, you, maybe even me!" She might have continued in this manner, but stopped by Lapis, who had walked over and pulled her into a hug.

" I know you don't remember a lot of things, but you have to believe me, all of this is real. When I was trapped in that mirror, I thought about how to get back home, how to get back to you. But when I did, they had made you forget I even existed, so you could focus on your job. With Rose gone, her influence fell apart, and they told me that if I tried to make you remember, they would break my Gem. So please believe me Peridot. I never wanted this to happen to you. I'm trying to fix it." Lapis whispered, holding back tears, hoping her message got through. Peridots giggles had stopped, now replaced with shaking, not bothering to try and hide her crying.

"I'll try to remember... this all sounds so strange... but I'll try." she said, returning the hug, ignoring the pain growing again in her Gem.


	11. A quick development

**The Crystal Gems Temple**

"Do you think they're done talking yet?" asked Steven. The young half-Gem was sitting outside of the temple door. He had been waiting for a few minutes, hoping it would open. Sapphire looked over at him.

"Not yet Steven. It will be a while." she said. Steven sighed and went back to watching the door. After a while, he turned back to Sapphire, ready to ask more questions.

"Why'd you guys unfuse? You said you were fighting, but it doesn't look like you are." he said.

"We're not really fighting Steven, we just need some time apart to consider our options, and we can't do that when we're fused." replied Sapphire.

"What about future vision? Can't you use that?" Steven inquired.

"There are too many possibilities at the moment that are all very likely. Right now, only time will tell." answered Sapphire. Steven sighed again.

"Well, do either of you know where Amethyst went?" he asked hopefully.

"No, we don't... Wait. She left?" said Sapphire. A quick look around the room confirmed it. Amethyst was not there.

"Where did she go?! Why didn't she tell us she was leaving!?" exclaimed Ruby.

"That's what I asked you guys." said Steven. He watched as the two Gems leaned in close to each other and whispered. The house fell silent as they both realized the most probable outcome. Sapphire turned to Steven.

"Steven, we need you to stay here and keep an eye on Pearl and the others." she said before moving towards the warp pad. Ruby followed closely behind. Steven was going to ask what they were doing, but stopped when a bright light radiated from the two small gems, leaving one larger one in their place.

"I don't have time right now to answer all of your questions. Just trust me, you need to stay here, and don't come after us. Understood?" said Garnet, looking down at the small half human. Steven nodded as he watched the fusion warp out of the house. His excitement at seeing the two fuse again died down quickly as he realized that he was alone.

_"Maybe Peridot and Lapis are done talking by now."_ he thought. With nothing else to do, he acted on this thought, and walked into the temple.

**Kindergarten Control Room**

Damaged screens, inactive power sources, and communications didn't work. Everything that could be broken, was broken.

" Is there ANYTHING in this pathetic place that works!?" exclaimed a rather frustrated Jasper, slamming a fist against the wall. She had been trying to get the Kindergarten working again, but she couldn't, at least not without help. The Homeworld Commander paced the room. With the Kindergarten's controls down, her plan wouldn't work. She tried to come up with more ideas, but she couldn't think of anything useful, her thought processes impeded by the pain radiating from her Gem. She was about to give up when she remembered that there was a certain someone that could operate these machines. A technician who had also landed on the planet. Granted, she had probably been captured by the remains of Rose's army, but if they brought her to the Kindergarten...

"That's it!" Jasper said to herself. She began to work on her new plan. Those "Crystal Gems" may have beaten her once, but they wouldn't be able to face a whole army of Kindergarten gems. With any luck, she would be able to get the place up and running in no time, and maybe catch that traitor in the process. All she needed was Peridot.

* * *

/AN: I'M SORRY IT'S SO SHORT BUT I NEED TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW TO WRITE THE NEXT BIT AND WANTED TO POST THIS BEFORE THINGS ALL WENT TO HELL AND I STOPPED WRITING SO ENJOY/


	12. A short time together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ALL THE FEELS

**Roses Room, Gem temple**

"Lapis? Peridot? Are you guys done talking yet?" Steven called out. No response came from the fluffy pink clouds surrounding him. The half-human sighed and kept searching. He knew the two Gems were in here, but they had moved from the last place he had seen them, Peridots mechanical limbs missing from the ground. He kept searching, wondering if they had somehow gotten into another room in the temple, when a distant explosion captured his attention. He ran towards the source of the noise, eventually reaching an area clear of clouds, surprised at what he had found. The two Homeworld Gems were indeed still in the room. And they were.. fighting?

"Stop! Stop! What are you guys doing?" shouted Steven. The battle between the gems ceased as they noticed Steven standing nearby.

"Steven, it's okay! We're just practicing." said Lapis. The small boy looked confused. Peridot stepped forward.

"Since I have no choice but to stay with you and the Crystal Gems, and Lapis tells me that I used to be a warrior of sorts, I've decided to test my abilities so I can assist in future battles." she explained. Lapis nodded and walked up beside her.

"Peridot has a bunch of new tech I've never seen before. This room seemed like a good place to try things out. That's okay with you, right? I know we should have asked first, but you were busy, and we didn't want to interrupt." she said, looking a little sheepish.

"No, it's okay! That's awesome! What kind of cool stuff did you find out?" asked a starry-eyed Steven. The other gems began to explain, but were cut off by a shout from the distance, a familiar voice echoing through the room.

"Steven?! Are you in here?! Steven?!"

"Pearl! I'm over here!" Steven responded, waving a hand in the air. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see a concerned Peridot looking at him.

"She won't attack us, will she?" Peridot asked. Steven shook his head.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't hurt anyone." he said with a smile. Peridot attempted to smile back, with little success. After some more shouting, Pearl found them, and instantly summoned her weapon upon seeing Peridot. The Homeworld Gem moved further behind the others, trying not to panic and run, calming down slightly when Lapis took her hand.

"What is she doing here?" exclaimed Pearl. Lapis tightened her grip on Peridots hand.

"I didn't say much earlier about my relationship with her, but she can be trusted, I promise. Steven thought this room would be a safe place to put her until we could explain further. We didn't expect you to regenerate so soon. The other Crystal Gems are probably out finding Jasper. She's your top priority. Peridot and I will stay here, out of the way, unless you need us. Is this clear?" she said. All of the room's occupants looked at the ocean gem with a surprised expression.

"Wow Lapis, where did that come from? You talked so differently!" said Steven, smiling widely. Lapis blushed a little.

"Just something from back in the war. I did have a pretty high rank." she said. Pearl reluctantly dissolved her spear, but moved Steven away quickly, glaring at Peridot.

"Steven, I expect a full explanation for this later, but Lapis is right. Where are the others?"

"Garnet went looking for Amethyst."

"Amethyst left? Where did she go?" asked Pearl.

"I 'dunno. That's why Garnet's looking for her." replied Steven. Pearl shook her head and began walking towards the door.

"Steven, come with me. We're going to find out where Garnet went. Those two are staying here." she said, pointing at Lapis and Peridot. Steven pouted a little but still followed Pearl out of the room. He gave a quick wave to Lapis and Peridot before the door closed. Lapis sighed.

" Well, that went better than expected. What do you think?" she said. After no response, Lapis noticed that Peridots hand was no longer in hers, and looked around. The technician was lying on the ground, visor filled with static, small sparks of energy falling from her gem. Lapis quickly knelt down and put a hand on Peridots shoulder.

_"Another Glitch... this can't be good."_  she thought.

"Peridot? Can you hear me?" asked Lapis. Peridot gave no audible answer. Her Gem let out a few more sparks, and a projection appeared, distorted with static. The audio was clear enough for Lapis to hear what was happening. Many voices could be heard coming from the image, but the loudest one was Peridot, riddled with panic.

**_"Please, don't do this! I promise, I'll do what you want! I'll follow orders! Just please let me remember her!"  
_ **

_"This is when they took her memories."_ Lapis realized with a jolt.

_**"Your memories of Lapis Lazuli are interfering with your productivity. That traitor Rose may have approved your relationship, but I do not, and even if Lapis does come back it will make no difference to my decision. "** _

"Yellow Diamond?" whispered Lapis, shocked. She had decided to take Peridots memories personally? Something like that was unheard of. Lapis looked at the projection, shuddering at the sight of the Homeworld leader. A large flash of light enveloped the image, and it faded away, leaving Lapis alone with Peridot once again. In a sharp contrast to the last Glitch, Peridot was awake right away, attempting to sit up. "Lapis?!"

"I'm right here Peridot. Don't worry, you're okay, everything's fine." Lapis reassured her, pulling her partner into a gentle hug. Peridot sighed deeply and leaned into the embrace.

"That was the worst one so far." she whispered.

"I know." said Lapis. "I saw it."

"You saw it?" exclaimed Peridot, sitting up straighter. "How?"

"Your Gem was projecting what was happening. The visuals were a little off, but I could hear what was going on. It's okay. Don't worry to much about it." Lapis said. Peridot looked over at the other Gem, a look of panic on her face, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I don't think I can survive another one of those, Lapis, my Gem will break. It's all too much." she whispered. Lapis wiped the tears off of the green Gems' face.

"No no no no no, don't say that. Everything will be fine. We'll think of something, okay Peri?" she said. Peridot nodded, trying not to be overwhelmed, and attempted a smile.

"I haven't heard you call me Peri in a long time." she mumbled. Lapis smiled and hugged her again. Peridot returned the hug, keeping all her thoughts in the back of her mind for the moment, except for one.

_"I just hope I live long enough to hear it again..."_

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /AN: I hope you all enjoyed that feels fest! This fanfiction is nearing its end,( 3 chapters left.) but might have a sequel fic, redeeming a different Homeworld Gem./


	13. A reason to fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is DOUBLE the usual length because y'all waited so long and are so supportive.

**Kindergarten , Earth**

_"This wasn't supposed to happen"_

That one thought was the only one Garnet could focus on. Her future vision had warned her of many things, but this, this was so unlikely that she never gave it a second glance. But it had happened. And it was her fault. The fusion looked at her opponent. Jasper stood in front of her, a spiderweb of cracks radiating outwards from her gem, one eye turned to a solid white. A semi-corrupted Jasper would already be hard to beat, and usually Garnet wouldn't have held back, but that was all changed when the Homeworld gem got her hands on Amethyst. The poofed purple gemstone was being used as a shield, the only thing preventing Garnet from attacking, and Jasper knew it. She backed up slowly, retreating into the depths of a nearby cave, keeping Amethysts' gem in front of her. A small grating noise could be heard from Jaspers' gem as the cracks on her face grew wider. Soon she had disappeared into the cave, slamming a fist into the wall, bringing the rock tumbling down. Garnet ran towards the cave entrance, but it was too late, as the entire area had been blocked by the falling rock. She grimaced and began walking back towards the warp pad. The sooner she got backup, the better. Lapis and Peridot would be recruited as well. They were going to need all the help they could get.

**Crystal Gems Temple**

"Are you crazy!? Bring them!? We can't trust them!" exclaimed Pearl. She had been going on about the topic since Garnet got back. While Steven was happy that Lapis and Peridot were going to help, he was more concerned over what was going to happen to Amethyst, and had convinced the Gems to let him bottle some water from Roses fountain for a worst case scenario. Pearl continued to complain about Garnets decision while the fusion moved towards the temple door. Steven warped back carrying a large water bottle full of pink water. He walked over to the Gems and gave them a small hopeful smile.

"Steven, can you open the door to your mothers room? I need to speak with Lapis and Peridot about the situation." said Garnet. Steven nodded and activated the temple door. The two Homeworld Gems had moved their position again and were standing near the entrance. Lapis looked stern and ready for whatever came next. Peridot was less sure of their position, and stood a little ways behind Lapis, but still close enough to hold her hand. Garnet walked up to them and looked down at Lapis.

"Jasper is becoming corrupted and has captured Amethyst. If you want to prove that your loyalty no longer remains with the Diamonds, you will assist us in defeating Jasper, and rescuing Amethyst. We will not hold you to any loyalty's afterwards. You will both be free to go where you want, and do what you wish, as long as you aren't harming the earth. I know Steven wants you to join the Crystal Gems, but it is your decision, and I will not interfere with it. However, for the time being, we need your help." she said. She then proceeded to walk out of the room, leaving a very enthusiastic Steven, and two very confused Gems.

It hadn't taken long for Lapis to agree with Garnet. Peridot had taken a bit more convincing before she agreed to go anywhere. She had eventually been bribed by Garnet, the fusion promising to give Peridot a glimpse of Future Vision, in exchange for her help. Steven wanted Lapis and Peridot to go with him and the Gems, but Pearl had been adamant about the two staying as far away from Steven as possible, so they had to find another way to get to the Kindergarten. A short brainstorm, helped by some "charts" Steven had made, revealed the answer. Peridot was rather unhappy with the finished plan, as it meant leaving her limbs behind, and with them several of her weapons. Lapis was to carry the technician while she flew the both of them to the Kindergarten, where they would meet up with the Gems, and initiate an attack strategy. Steven was to get Jasper's attention while Pearl and Garnet flanked her. Lapis would watch from above, ready to swoop down and rescue Steven when Garnet and Pearl attacked, and Peridot would be a last resort. Lapis and Peridot left ahead of the Gems because it would take longer for them to get to the Kindergarten. The two flew in silence for a while.

" Lapis?"

" What is it?"

" Do you really think we can do this?"

Lapis looked down at the Gem she was carrying. Peridot was trying to look tough and failing miserably. If the situation had been a brighter one, Lapis might have laughed, but unfortunately jokes were not exactly appropriate at the current time. Instead, she attempted a smile, giving her best effort to look confident.

" Of course we can. We've been through worse together, haven't we?" she said, hoping to reassure her companion. Peridot winced as a few sparks fell from her gem. Lapis' heart sank as she felt Peridot trembling. A few more minutes of quiet passed, interrupted only by small whimpers from Peridot, and Lapis whispering calming words to her as she shivered. The water gem looked towards the horizon. The Kindergarten was nowhere in sight, and Peridots' gem was getting worse every second, small cracklings heard from within. Lapis sighed, shifting her grip, allowing her many thoughts to consume her mind.

"  _Things just keep getting worse. First the fusion with Jasper and now this. I hope Steven can heal Peridot in time. Her Gem just keeps deteriorating. She won't be able to hang on much longer, and I'm not sure I can watch her go through this for much longer either. For her to die just after I got her back... no, I can't think like that. I have to stay positive, act like Steven would, I'm sure he would think of something to say to lighten the mood. He always does. Maybe someday I'll be able to do the same. Though that's not very likely now."_

" It's gonna be okay, Peri, I'm not going to lose you again." Lapis whispered, mostly to herself, causing her to jump a little when she got a response.

" Promise?" murmured Peridot, looking up weakly. Lapis leaned forwards and kissed her partner lightly.

" I promise." she replied. Peridot let out a tiny sigh and cuddled closer to Lapis.

" Thanks Lazi..." she whispered, drifting off to sleep, glad to be free of the pain for a while. Lapis allowed herself a small smile upon hearing her old nickname. Even though Peridots' gem was breaking, she was definitely regaining her memories, a small comfort after all that had happened. It didn't take to much longer before the dark cliffs on the Kindergarten came into view. Lapis swooped down to the arranged meeting spot and landed as quietly as she could. She gently placed Peridot against the cliff wall, being careful not to hurt her, and stood up to look for the Crystal Gems. A short glance around revealed the other gems nearby, a nod from Garnet, and an enthusiastic wave from Steven. Lapis turned towards Peridot, shaking her shoulder gently, feeling a small twinge of regret as the other gem stirred and mumbled something about sleeping longer.

"C'mon Peri, we're here. You need to wake up now." Lapis said in a quiet, sing-song voice. Peridot blinked a few times and looked up at Lapis. The ocean gem put one of Peridots' half arms around her shoulders and lifted her off the ground to carry her into a large cave.

" We're here already? That was faster than expected." Peridot murmured, still groggy from her in flight nap.

" It was faster for you. You slept most of the way." replied Lapis. Peridot nodded. It made sense for her to sleep. Since her gem was too damaged to retreat into, her physical body was trying to cope with the injury by shutting down temporarily, indulging in what humans called sleep. The two Gems waited in the cave. They were soon joined by the others. Pearl insisted on using her holograms to demonstrate the battle plan. A quick glimpse at the other Gems present revealed a lot of information to Peridot. Steven had taken a seat on the other side of Lapis as soon as the Gems had arrived. He was obviously still concerned that the Crystal Gems didn't trust her. Pearl was wrapped up in her explanation, but judging by the exhausted look on her face, she was as upset as Steven was, if not more. Garnet was the hardest to figure out. Peridot eventually settled on the idea that since Garnet was a fusion, the two Gems that made her were talking to each other constantly, explaining her usual lack of speech. Lapis was paying attention to what Pearl was saying, but frequently looked over to Peridot, an anxious look on her face.

Peridot herself was unsure of how exactly she felt. She had been trying her hardest to not let the glitches take over her, but it was becoming increasingly difficult, the pain all but unbearable. The others had definitely noticed her struggling. Lapis reached out and placed a hand on Peridots' shoulder. She gave her companion a small, hopeful smile. Steven soon joined in. Peridot did her best to smile back, failing when a sharp bolt of pain shot through her gem, letting out a yell of agony. Pearl stopped her explanation and looked over in alarm while Garnet stood up and walked over quickly. Static jumped across Peridots' visor, her gem sending out veins of energy, threatening to overtake her completely. The Homeworld technician tried to stop the hurting, to ignore it, but to no avail. She drew her limbs inwards, as if tying to hold herself in one piece, hardly recognizing the horrifying shrieks of pain she heard as her own. Just when she thought she couldn't take any more, that her gem was going to shatter, the excruciating feeling started to subside. The sensation faded to a dull throbbing, never fully gone, but retreating enough for Peridot to come to her senses. The first thing she noticed was that there were tears on her face. Highly unusual for her, but becoming more common every day. The second thing was Lapis' arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly, afraid to let go. Peridot looked up, her previously blurry vision coming into focus, allowing her to see how the others had reacted to her outburst.

The two remaining Crystal Gems were nearby. They didn't seem to be all that concerned, or indifferent, looking depressed more than anything else. The Steven seemed slightly fearful, but still worried, moving closer to her to see how she was doing. Lapis, on the other hand, seemed to be the least effected. She had an expression of tiredness and sorrow on her face, a look that had been nearly constant on the flight over, and during most of their conversations back at the temple. She helped Peridot sit up straighter, carefully adjusting her position, making sure that she was as comfortable as she could be given her situation.

" They're getting worse, aren't they?" she said. It was more of a statement than a question. All of the gems present knew the answer. At the rate she was going, Peridot wouldn't make it too much longer anyways, much less in a fight.

" Battle of the Crystalline Cliffs." muttered Peridot.

" Peridot? What does that mean?" asked Steven. Most of the other Gems looked as lost as he did.

" The Battle of the Crystalline Cliffs. We were hopelessly outnumbered in a Kindergarten. So many gems had fallen already. But against all odds, we did it, we won. And we won because my gem was damaged. The crack allowed me to use more of my energy than usual. If we run into Jasper here, and nothing else works, I need to fight her. I can use the energy I have left to overload her system. It's a last resort, and my gem will probably break, but it's a guaranteed win."

Peridot looked at the Gems surrounding her. Her previous expression of pain and fear had been replaced by determination. She turned towards Garnet.

" You said if I came to help, you could show me something, from the future. I need to see that now, before the fight, because in all likelihood, I won't be able to later. Please show me." she said. Garnet nodded. She gave an apologetic nod and a quiet "Sorry" to Lapis before lightly giving Peridot a small kiss on the forehead. Peridot gasped as images and sounds raced through her mind, several smaller possibilities disappearing before she could process them. A few outcomes were prevalent, the most likely situations, but they faded quickly, leaving Peridot with the knowledge she thought she had wanted. She hadn't known how terrible things could be. The other Gems looked towards Peridot, expecting answers, but receiving none. Instead, she leaned towards Lapis, giving her a quick kiss.

" Thank you, Crystal Gem Garnet, for sharing your ability with me. I know what to do now." she said. Garnet gave another nod and stood up to leave.

"We can't stay here any longer. Jasper is becoming more and more corrupted as we speak. We need to find her, bubble her gem, and rescue Amethyst as soon as possible. As in now." she intoned. Pearl nodded and took her place behind the fusion. Steven joined them after giving Lapis and Peridot a hug. The Crystal gems dispersed, each one determined in their mission, leaving the two Homeworld gems alone again. As soon as they were gone, Peridot turned to Lapis, trying to keep up her bravado.

"Lapis, listen carefully, we don't have much time. You need to know that this isn't going to end well. All of the possibilities from that vision had the same ending. I need to to promise me that no matter what, you'll keep going, never giving up. I can't do this without knowing if you'll go on, keep living, even without me." she said quickly, her courageous facade giving way to fear.

"I promise I'll keep going, but you had better be there with me after all of this, got it?" said Lapis. Peridot gave her a small smile and leaned in for a hug.

"Okay, I promise, I'll be there." she whispered. Lapis reluctantly ended the embrace, summoning her wings from her gem, and flying off to the fight. Peridot watched her go, waving what she had of an arm in farewell, doing her best not to cry as the reality of the situation hit her. Taking a deep breath, she turned towards the inside of the cave, pulling herself along the ground towards a tunnel entrance. During her journey towards the cliffs' center, she allowed herself to go through her memories, each new one a bittersweet reunion. Soon, the glow from the internal crystals of the cave structure grew brighter, signalling the end of her crawl. She took deep breath and moved closer, mentally preparing herself for the inevitable battle ahead, and what she knew was going to happen.

_"Don't worry about me, Lapis. You'll be safe. That's what matters."_ she thought. She had reached the open area of the cave and could hear fighting from nearby.

"It's started." she muttered to herself. Peridot lay in wait, listening for the other Gems, ready to play her part. She allowed herself a small smirk.

" Looks like those Crystal Clods are useful after all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /AN: Next chapter: ACTUAL FIGHTING!/


	14. Did I break something?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> * muffled giggle-crying-fangirl shrieking *

**Kindergarten, Earth**

_"Gem's shouldn't fight each other..."_

Steven always believed this. Even if his opponent was unrelenting, the half-gem wanted to make peace in any way he could, though it rarely worked. Right now, however, his usual happy mantra had been pushed back in favor of determination. He looked at the Gems around him. They had needed to regroup after their first encounter with Jasper. The Homeworld Gem had been smarter than they had thought. She had caught on to their plan quickly, refusing to move into the open, despite Steven's best efforts. The only positive thing to come out of the battle attempt was the fact that they had manged to rescue Amethyst. Steven held the purple gemstone tightly, afraid to let go, as if Jasper could appear and take his friend again. Pearl and Garnet were trying to come up with a plan when they were distracted by a shuffling noise at one end of the Cavern. On instinct, they summoned their weapons, Steven moving to the front to protect them from whatever was coming.

"Geez, thanks for the warm welcome." said a very sarcastic Peridot. Lapis and Steven rushed over to her. The green Gem slowly stood on her knees, leaning on Lapis for support, and nodding towards the gem that Steven was carrying.

"I see you rescued your teammate, but judging on your behavior, Jasper has not been defeated." she said. Steven sighed.

"I thought I could change her mind about fighting us. " he said, looking down to the floor. Lapis gave Steven a sympathetic pat on the head. He smiled a little and looked around at all of the Gems.

"So, what's the new plan?" he asked hopefully.

"We split into groups and search for Jasper. It's not the best plan, but at the moment, it's the best option." replied Garnet. She may have said more, but she stopped when she noticed a pale light coming from Steven's direction, and allowed herself a small smile.

"And it looks like everyone's here." she said. Steven let out a gasp as he noticed the glow. Amethyst's gem floated upwards, a bright figure emerging from it, before the light faded and revealed Amethyst standing nearby.

"Sup Ste-man? What did I miss?" she said, stretching her newly formed muscles.

"Amethyst's back! Amethyst's back!" Steven chanted as her ran smiling towards her. He pulled the purple Gem into a tight hug.

"Oh man, that was fast! I was really scared that Jasper hurt you!" he said. Amethyst blushed a little and returned the hug.

"Don't worry about it dude, I'm fine." she reassured him. Garnet was quick to fill in Amethyst on the situation. She listen better than usual, the gravity of the situation sinking in, although she still managed to crack a few jokes. The Gems split into their groups. Garnet was going by herself, Pearl and Amethyst would go together, and Steven convinced Garnet to let him travel with Lapis.

"What about you, Peridot? Are you coming with us?" asked Steven. Peridot shook her head.

"I'd only slow you down. How about I go to the control room? It's close, and I can try to activate the defenses to help in the fight." she said. Garnet nodded and left, Pearl and Amethyst following closely behind, leaving the three other alone.

"Do you need any help getting to the control room?" asked Steven. Peridot allowed herself a small blush at the though of being carried again.

"Some assistance would be appreciated." she admitted. Lapis smirked and lifted the green gem, holding her bridal-style, laughing a little at the flustered look on Peridots' face.

"Lead the way, Peri." she said. Peridot guided the three of them through the tunnels, pointing her arm in the direction they were supposed to go, her initial embarrassment fading the more they walked. Before long, they had reached the control room, noticing with dismay that a lot of things were broken.

"Looks like Jasper got here before us." muttered Peridot. " I can still use some of this stuff, but it will take a while. You two should go on ahead."

"If you say so!" said Steven. He looked at the two Gems in front of him. " It looks like you guys need some time to talk. I'll wait outside."

"Alright Steven. Be careful, okay?" said Lapis, smiling at the boy. Steven beamed and walked out of the area. Lapis placed Peridot on the floor next to one of the screens. Her smile had faded into a anxious expression. Peridot did her best to look upbeat, giving Lapis a small kiss and a weak smile.

"Don't worry about me. Just keep yourself safe, okay?" she whispered, trying to comfort Lapis, but her words had the opposite effect. Lapis pulled Peridot into a tight hug, trying, and failing, to hold back tears. Peridot did her best to return the hug.

"Please listen to me Peridot." Lapis said quietly.

"You keep saying not to worry about you. What do you think I've been doing the last few days? I worry because I care, Peridot, I care about you so much. I don't want to see you get hurt, and when you tell me to focus on myself, I can't. It's so hard for me to see you like this. I just got you back, and now I'm losing you again, and it's almost like you don't care anymore. I can't stand to watch you die in front of me while I do  _nothing!_  "

Lapis pulled back from the hug. She didn't bother to hide her crying, letting the tears run freely down her face, breathing shakily. Peridot reached up and wiped some tears off of Lapis' face.

"I'm so sorry Lapis. I never meant to make you feel that way. I know this is really hard, but you can't to anything right now to help me, and that's a fact. We're both scared of what's going to happen next, but we can make a difference, and right now you need to go to Steven and help him. I promise I'll see you again at the end of all this, alright? I believe in you, Lapis, and I love you." she whispered. Lapis sniffled and rubbed at her eyes before looking back towards Peridot with a faint smile.

"I love you too. I know you'll keep your promise." she said. She leaned forward and pulled her partner into another hug.

"I understand what I need to do. Just make sure that you take care of yourself. I'm not losing you again." She leaned back from the embrace to give Peridot a small kiss.

"I don't want this to end. I don't want to you leave. I want to stay with you. I know you have to go, and it's selfish for me to think like this, but I don't want to be alone again." Peridot admitted quietly.

"Neither do I. But you're right, I have to leave, so let's make the most of what time we have now." replied Lapis. She pulled Peridot forward for another kiss, being a bit more forceful than the last time, bringing the other Gem as close as she could. Peridot returned the kiss, ignoring the growing pain in her gem, focusing instead on her lover. The two reluctantly ended the kiss as they heard Steven calling to Lapis.

"Hey Lapis, I know you guys are busy, but we really need to find Jasper. " Steven said from outside the room. Peridot smiled and did her best to look confident.

"You go get 'em, Lazi." she said. Lapis returned the smile and gave Peridot one last kiss before leaving the room.

"Are you okay Lapis?" Steven asked. The ocean Gem wiped the last tears off her face and tried to look happy.

"I'll be okay. Now let's go find Jasper." she said. Steven grinned up at her and began walking through the tunnel. Lapis glanced back at the control room before following him.

_"Please stay safe Peri, I'll be back for you, I promise."_ she thought.

* * *

Peridot, meanwhile, was having a less than stellar time. She tapped at the various screens in an attempt to make something work. A few sparks fell from her gem as she worked. The holograms would jump to life, only to fade back out again, leaving her more and more frustrated every time. She grumbled under her breath as she tried to make the system start.

"They don't work, I've tried, and it's not like you could do any better. "

Peridot turned around as fast as she could. She recognized the raspy voice. Jasper lurched her way out of the corner, a spiderweb of cracks on her face, small orange crystals beginning to emerge from her shoulders. She was becoming more corrupted by the second. Peridot glared at Jasper, feeling a rage beginning to surface, contrasting her usual reaction of fear. Jasper limped closer, dragging one of her feet, its new crystalline claws dragging on the ground.

"I surprised you're still standing. Your gem looks broken." she observed. Peridot did her best to sit up strait. Jasper took no notice of her subordinates odd behavior. "We need to get this thing working so we can-"

"I have my memories back."

Jasper paused her sentence to look over at Peridot. The technician was angry, an unusual emotion for her, but her statement was more shocking.

"You what?"

"I remember everything, all the memories Homeworld took, that you took. I remember the war, I remember how I was treated, and most importantly- " she took a deep breath.

"I remember Lapis Lazuli."

The silence that followed her proclamation filled the room. The two Gems stared at each other, their weaker emotions filtering away, leaving only anger and hate. Without warning, Jasper leaped forward, slamming a fist into Peridot. The other Gem was sent flying across the room, her journey ending with a collision into the wall, feeling the pain as she landed on the floor. Peridot tried to summon her weapon, but she couldn't focus, the energy from her gem formless and weak. Jasper walked over and lifted Peridot by the front of her uniform.

"You pathetic excuse for a Gem..." she growled, her blank eye beginning to glow as she tried to summon her helmet. " You really think you can beat me?"

Jasper sneered and threw Peridot across the floor. Her helmet began to form, but stopped halfway through, leaving her with its jagged remains. She began to walk towards Peridot, not noticing the small ripples of energy coming from her opponent.

" You have no idea what I've been through today. The only good thing that happened was capturing that stupid runt, and I couldn't even hang onto her for that long. Everything on this planet had been a disappointment. And you dare to attack me? Your superior? Even when you did have your memories, you stayed in line, but now it seems you're just suicidal." Jasper ranted as she walked closer. Crackles of energy emerged from Peridots' gem, finally working their way down to her arms and legs, forming her absent limbs. She stood up slowly, wobbling a little, but soon found her balance.

"That's funny, I could say the same thing about you." she snarled. Her glowing arms shifted into massive claws, closely followed by her feet, bolts of energy emanating outwards across the ground. She leaped forwards and raked a claw across her previous commander's face. Jasper let out a roar as the white-hot substance burned her skin. She swiped at her opponent with orange claws, but was met with resistance when the Peridot changed the energy into a shield. Her other arm morphed into a long blade as she swung it forwards towards Jasper. The energy hissed as it met the remains of Jasper's helmet. The two Gems jumped back, giving themselves some distance before rushing forwards into battle again.

_"I'm doing it. I'm actually doing it!"_ thought Peridot as she moved across the ground, dodging Jasper's attacks, and dealing some damage of her own. Jasper raised both arms and slammed them down towards Peridot. The green Gem swiftly moved both arms upwards and created another shield. Jasper, however, wasn't giving up anytime soon. She pushed down, trying with all her strength to break through the shield, more crystals growing on her as her gem became worse. Peridot gathered her energy, ready to attack, but never got the chance. Another crack formed inside her gem, small, but very painful. Peridot grimaced as her vision started to fade in and out.

_" Not now..."_  she thought as the static overtook her vision. The room around her had faded away quickly, leaving her with a rather clear visual of what seemed to be a Gem building of sorts, with space surrounding her. Peridot tried to look around, but she couldn't, stuck as a spectator in her own memory.

* * *

_"Where am I... is this Homeworld? It must be. There's Gems everywhere. Wait... are they leaving? Is that Lapis?"_

Peridot tried frantically to process everything happening. She could feel herself walking towards Lapis, unable to control her body, nervous for reasons she couldn't quite place. Lapis turned to her and smiled brightly.

" Hi Peri. What are you doing here?" she asked. Peridot tried to speak, but found that she couldn't say anything, only hearing what had happened in the past.

" I came to see you off. I know it's just another routine mission, but I wanted to make sure I saw you leave and wish you luck. It's been almost a thousand years since the war ended, but I still get nervous when you leave on mission like this. " she heard herself say. Lapis let out a little laugh and moved forward to kiss her partner.

" Don't worry, It's just a routine check of the planet, Earth isn't that dangerous. It's not like I won't come back." she said. Peridot laughed with her and pulled Lapis into a hug.

" I guess you're right. Just be careful, got it Lazi? I love you. " she said. Lapis returned the hug and gave Peridot another quick kiss before walking towards the nearby ship.

" I love you too, Peri. See you soon! Don't forget about me" she said, waving from the ship.

" I won't, I promise!" Peridot shouted as the ship took off and left. She waved while the Peridot of the present found herself feeling weak.

_" That must have been before she got stuck in the mirror... Why didn't I say more? I should have told her how much she meant to me! I promised I wouldn't forget her..."_ she thought. Her recollection ended abruptly when she felt an odd sensation in her Gem. There was pain, of course, but also something else she couldn't quite place. The feeling was followed by what had to be the loudest sound she had ever heard. It sounded like... something breaking... _  
_

* * *

The sounds of energy being used were unmistakable. Lapis lead the Crystal Gems towards the noise. She was convinced that Peridot was using her weapon. She tried not to think about the consequences of Peridot using her weapon while her gem was damaged. She had just reached the outside of the control room when she heard something.

_KRRRRUNCCCHHH!_

Lapis stopped dead in her tracks. She knew that sound. The other veteran Gems next to her had horrified expressions on their faces. They knew what it was as well. Steven was confused at the sudden halt, but Amethyst had a better idea of what had happened, putting a hand on Steven's shoulder.

" Hey man, If Jasper's in that room, it could be really dangerous. Let's just stay here." she said, trying to convey her usual nonchalant attitude, looking to the others for support. Garnet nodded.

" Amethyst is right. You should stay here for now." she said.

" But Garnet, what happened?" asked Steven. Pearl moved forward to hug the small boy.

" It's going to be okay Steven. Just let us handle this." she whispered. Lapis stood in shock. She vaguely recalled what Peridot had said about the future vision.

_" This won't end well..."_

Lapis ran into the control room, heart pounding, freezing in place at the sight that awaited her. Peridot was lying on the ground, unmoving, her gem cracked beyond recognition. Jasper stood triumphantly over her opponent, allowing herself a self-indulgent laugh, sneering at Lapis.

" What's wrong, traitor?" she gloated. Her wicked smile grew wider.

**" Did I break something? "**


	15. Chapter 15- We are the Crystal Gems! - FINALE!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THE LAST CHAPTER!

**" Did I break something?"**

* * *

The silence that followed Jasper's remark was almost as bad as the words themselves. Lapis walked forward slowly, unable to speak, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

" No... you didn't.. you couldn't have... she can't be gone... this isn't happening..." she murmured frantically.

" Look's like you're too late to save your little girlfriend." sneered Jasper. Lapis stared down at the unmoving body of her partner, unable to speak, tears beginning to fall. Jasper continued to smirk, the gesture spreading more cracks across her face.

" What now? Nothing to say, traitor?" she said, taking a step forward. Lapis clenched her fists. Thoughts ran through her mind like wildfire.

" _No, no, no, no, no...she... can't be... she.. promised... **I**...promised...I... I can't just let her DIE!"_

" So, you want to fight? You'll end up just like her." said Jasper, gesturing to Peridot. Lapis' gem began to glow, emanating a bright blue light, fading to reveal her wings outstretched.

" You... monster... don't you DARE TOUCH HER!" she shouted. Lapis flew upwards, diving down towards her opponent, blocked at the last second by what remained of Jasper's helmet. She rose again, gaining some distance, building up speed.

" YOU WILL NEVER HURT ANYONE AGAIN!" she yelled down at her opponent. After yet another one of her attacks was deflected, she dropped down, moving her wings underneath her enemy. The water wrapped around Jasper, lifting her into the air, the pressure increasing steadily. Within a few seconds, her physical form disappeared, leaving her gem at the mercy of Lapis.

* CLINK *

To everyone's surprise, Lapis let Jasper's gem drop to the ground, leaving it in the dirt. Even with all her rage, she couldn't bring herself to destroy her opponent, opting to stand in silent tears. She knelt down beside Peridot and reached out a shaking hand. Peridot shifted slightly, struggling to open her eyes, breathing shakily. She tried to lift what was left of her arm, but was too weak, small flecks of light falling from the incomplete limb.

"L...l..lapis..." she murmured weakly. She tried to speak again, but couldn't say anything, starting to lose consciousness. Her vision began to fade. She could see Lapis crying, and the Crystal Gems standing nearby, trying to keep Steven from seeing her. The small half human forced his way past them and ran over. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a small bottle of pink liquid. Peridot couldn't hear what he was saying, but he seemed optimistic, explaining whatever it was to Lapis. The last thing Peridot saw was Lapis opening the bottle before everything went black.

* * *

_" Peridot?"_

* * *

The green Gem stirred as she heard her name being called. The darkness surrounding her was retreating. She blinked a few times. Lapis was looking down at her, tears still visible, but with a smile on her face. Peridot gasped as she realized the pain in her head, constant for so long, had disappeared. The Crystal Gems had moved closer, but looked relived, Steven chatting excitedly. Peridot sat up carefully. Her gem was... fixed?

"PERI!"

She didn't have time to contemplate how before she was tackled to the ground by Lapis. She tried to sit up again, pulling away from the embrace, feeling tears forming on her own face.

" Lapis? What happened?" she asked.

" Steven brought water from his mother's fountain, it has healing powers, I used it to fix your gem." said Lapis breathlessly, trying to stop crying. " Are you okay? Your gem is fixed, right?"

" Don't worry about me, that vision showed me my gem breaking, but I guess it left out the healing part. I'm sorry if all the things I said scared you." said Peridot. " Are you okay?"

" I am now." replied Lapis, wiping tears off her face. " Now that you're here."

" Then I guess we're both gonna be just fine." said Peridot, attempting a smile. Lapis returned the expression and hugged her partner again. Peridot moved back slightly to turn the hug into a kiss. The two stayed like that for a while, focused on each other, almost forgetting about the others in the room. Garnet stepped forwards and bubbled Jasper. She turned towards the two Homeworld gems.

" Jasper will stay bubbled at the temple. With her gem corrupted the way it is, she won't be strong enough to break out again. I trust that you will be coming back with us to retrieve Peridots limbs. After that, I don't care what you do, as long as you're not harming the earth." she said. Lapis nodded, moving to stand up, supporting Peridot with one arm.

" Thank you, Garnet. I think right now all of us need some time to relax." she said. Steven ran up to Lapis and Peridot, smiling widely.

" Are you guys gonna join the Crystal Gems?" he asked excitedly. Lapis laughed a little and patted his head.

" Maybe someday Steven, but not today. I think I'll want to know more about the earth before I decide to fight for it or not." she said. Peridot nodded.

"Thanks for the offer Steven, but I agree with Lapis, I need to spend more time here first." she said. Steven pouted for a second before eagerly talking about all the awesome things the earth had to offer on the way out of the room. The group made their way towards the warp pad, pausing every so often to allow Peridot and Lapis to catch up, talking about their next move.

" I'll send a fake report to Homeworld once my communications start working again." said Peridot. " It should stop them from sending anyone after us."

" Good idea. I'll keep a close watch on Jasper when we get back. She won't be able to beat me." said Lapis. The two of them continued talking once they arrived at the temple. The Crystal Gems watched from a distance. They were unsure about this new development, but were trying to remain open minded, for Steven's sake.

" Everything's gonna be okay now, right?" asked Steven, looking up at Garnet. She gave him a small smile and ruffled his hair.

" Don't worry Steven. I think it's going to be just fine. " she said. Steven beamed and ran over to his two new friends.

" If you're gonna stay here, you're going to need to know our theme song! I wrote it myself! And I can add a new verse for you guys!" he said happily, grabbing his ukulele from nearby, tuning the strings. He took a deep breath and began to sing.

" If you're evil and you're on the rise,

you can count of  **all**  of us taking you down,

'cause were good and evil never beats us,

we'll win the fight and then go out for pizzas,

we... are the Crystal Gems!

We'll always save the day,

and if you think we can't,

we'll, always find a way!

That's why the people of this world,

believe in!

Garnet, Amethyst,

Pearl, Peridot,

and Lapis,

**AND STEVEN!"**

He ended the song by shouting the last line, excitedly looking over at his audience to see what they thought. Lapis was clapping, and Peridot was smiling slightly.

" Thank you, Steven, it's a wonderful song." said Lapis. Peridot nodded.

" I don't know much about music, but I'd have to agree, it was nice. " she said. Steven had continued to talk to them well into the evening, until the others insisted he go to bed.

* * *

Lapis and Peridot stood outside the house, looking into the night, and up at the stars.

" Do you think you'll ever miss home?" asked Lapis. Peridot looked sad for a second, but then smiled, giving Lapis a small kiss on the forehead.

" Not as long as you're here. " she said, wrapping her arms around the other gem. Lapis let out a small giggle and hugged her back. The two stayed like that until morning, keeping the silence, enjoying each others company. They weren't sure what was going to happen next, but they did have each other, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN:/ IT'S DONE! AFTER 6 MONTHS, IT'S FINALLY DONE!
> 
> Thank you all so much for encouraging me to finish this story! I couldn't have done it without you all! I can't thank you enough! Please, leave a review on this chapter, so I can thank you personally, and let me know what you thought!
> 
> Keep an eye on my Youtube channel for a very special something related to this story! * cough ANIMATION cough*
> 
> If you want to contact me, my username on DeviantArt, FurAffinity, Youtube, and Tumblr is No1fan15!
> 
> Will this story get a sequel? Vote on my tumblr to decide!
> 
> Again, I can't thank you all enough, and I hope you enjoyed the journey as much as I did!
> 
> Sincerely, and with hugs,
> 
> No1fan15 :3


	16. Glitch Animation and Special Thanks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 9 months of fanfiction later.....

It's finally uploaded! I've had this done for a long time, but I didn't have time to post it until now. It only deviates a little from the story. I hope y'all will enjoy seeing the final chapters of Glitch animated!

You can find it on my YouTube channel, No1fan15. [watch?v=rXBoQpF36qU](watch?v=rXBoQpF36qU)

It's been 9 months since I started this fanfiction. It's like my fan-content baby. Started right after " Reformed ", this story has made it though 2 Stevenbombs and a TON of plot twists. So as we, the fandom, get ready for Stevenbomb 4, I hope you'll help me one final time in the creation, and completion, of this fanfiction.

This animation heralds the last thing I'll do related to Glitch other than the sequel stories, so if you want more of the little universe I've made here, I refer you to Corruption, the sequel story, and a third installment to come. Enjoy the ride.

Please, if you enjoyed this story, even if it was only a little, leave a message for me. I would love to hear from you all. You've been such a huge support to me in this endeavor. You've gotten me through some tough times in my life.

Thank you everyone for enjoying my work, putting up with my constant spelling and grammar errors, and hiatuses that could rival the show itself.

Catch 'ya later,

Feather

aka

No1fan15 :3

**Author's Note:**

> I'll see y'all in Lapidot Hell. >:3


End file.
